Rain water that had collected on the west end roof of the three-story building at 1300 W. Broward Blvd. began seeping into the communications area about 5 p.m., said spokesman Ott Cefkin.

By 8 p.m., water was pouring into several third- and second-floor offices and was covering the floors of the dispatch and teletype areas with at least one inch of rain water.

Because the wiring of the computerized dispatch system is routed below a raised floor in the communications center, power was diverted and operators were forced to use hand-held radios to dispatch police calls. Dispatch service was not interrupted and the cleanup continued into the night, Cefkin said.